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Glite Dictionary
🚫 To ignore in analysis ➗ To extract in math 💻 To separate code
to factor out

to factor out

5.7
Write a number or expression as a product of smaller numbers
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈfæktər aʊt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : factorizar
  • So what you have to do first is check to see if you can factor out a number overall.

So now again, we cannot factor out using a GCF.

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Examples

  • So I'm thinking we can factor out XDX from these two terms.

  • She explained that we must factor out the variables on both sides of the equation.

  • So we're almost going to factor out that value.

  • At this point we can factor out an X to the M.

  • So let's go ahead and factor out a four.

  • So what I'm going to do is we're going to factor out those values.

  • We're just going to factor out the VA right here.

  • It's not immediately obvious, but the trick is to factor out the DYDX from both terms.

    NancyPi

  • To solve the equation, we need to factor out the common terms.

  • In order to simplify the expression, let's factor out the greatest common factor.

Synonyms

to factor
vsto factor out
3 6.6

To break a number or expression into numbers that multiply to it

emphasizes expressing the expression explicitly as a product of those parts
to factorize
vsto factor out
  • Specialized
8.1

To write a math expression as parts that multiply together

applies broadly to expressions or numbers, not only polynomial cases

Surface Forms

factor out infinitive
factored out past
factored out past participle
factoring out present participle
factors out third person singular

Morphology

factor + out

The particle 'out' commonly signals removal or extraction and 'factor' can carry the sense of taking out a common part (as in mathematics), so a learner could partly infer that something is being extracted from a larger whole. However, the specific software-refactoring meaning (extracting duplicated code into a separate function/module) is a technical extension and not fully predictable from the everyday sense of 'factor' many learners know, making this only partially transparent.

Etymology

Factor out in math means to pull a common piece out of a 'math problem'. Picture taking the same toy from many boxes and putting it into one box; the result is a 'multiplication' and the problem is easier to solve.